Nina L. Paul - Reiki For Dummies

Reiki allows you to feel deeply relaxed, calm, and peaceful. The gentle touch of the practitioner’s hands serves to transmit the higher-level healing energy to you. Anyone of any age, religion, or health status can benefit from Reiki.

You can experience Reiki from the perspective of a recipient or receiver of Reiki by booking Reiki sessions with a qualified practitioner. Or you can decide to become initiated into Reiki and begin your Reiki studies. The following sections briefly discuss both experiences.

Experiencing a first Reiki session is the point of entry for most folks to either decide to use Reiki regularly or go further and find out how to give a Reiki session.

Chapter 6lists the ways that Reiki can help your entire family. To find out exactly what you can expect from a Reiki session, turn to Chapter 5.

If you’re really ready to grow, really ready to change, and really ready to heal, Reiki can aid your progress toward wholeness. Reiki opens you up to receive the blessings of the universal life-force energy.

You may find yourself growing in ways you never imagined after a Reiki session. Or rather, you may find yourself returning to a place of peace, feeling of love, sense of calm, and purpose of being that you forgot you ever had.

You may make some changes in your life. They may be small, subtle changes, like being nice to a coworker or letting a car pass you on the highway. You may change how you eat or what you wear.

You may notice coincidences popping up. People may show up to help you, or situations may change just when you need them. You may be more in the flow of the universe (from receiving the universal life-force energy) or at least more aware of the flow. You may trust that life will be okay, that you will be okay, and that Reiki can help you. As you continue your life’s journey, you may realize that you can use Reiki on a daily basis, especially as life takes its twists and turns.

Reiki takes you to a safe place. It takes you to your truth, and it takes you home.

Utilizing Reiki is as simple to learn as 1-2-3 — the three different levels of Reiki training:

1st-degree Reiki: This 1st-level class starts your Reiki flow. You find out about Reiki history and how to use Reiki to heal yourself. Chapter 10covers self-healing with Reiki. You also learn the hand positions to administer Reiki to others.

2nd-degree Reiki: One step up from the 1st degree, in 2nd-degree Reiki you find out how to use three Reiki symbols and send Reiki long distance. After this degree, you can become a Reiki practitioner. Chapter 13describes how to give a Reiki session, and Chapter 15covers long-distance Reiki.

3rd-degree Reiki: This level is frequently divided into two parts, with the first focusing on the fourth Reiki symbol and learning Master’s level techniques. The last level covers how to teach Reiki to others.

Chapter 7gives you the lowdown on Reiki training: which classes you should take, what you’ll learn, and how to prepare for your attunements.

When you study Reiki, you discover the following:

The history of Reiki

The basics of energy healing

How to use Reiki to heal yourself and others

How to use a set of symbols that connect to the Reiki energy (see Chapter 8)

How to teach Reiki to others

You also receive one or more attunements during each level of training. An attunement is an initiation process with your teacher so your connection with Reiki energy is activated for life.

You may be looking for someone to give you a treatment or someone to teach you Reiki. Here are two ways Reiki professionals identify themselves:

A Reiki practitioner (RP) is someone who practices Reiki. This means the person has studied at least the 1st or 2nd level of Reiki and has learned to give Reiki treatments to others.

A Reiki Master (RM) is a person who has completed the Master level of Reiki. The Reiki Master may also be a Reiki Master Teacher (RMT), in which case the person can teach Reiki.

Note that a Reiki Master is also a Reiki practitioner.

When you receive a Reiki session, you may be treated by someone who’s either a Reiki practitioner or a Reiki Master. If you want to find out how to use Reiki, you need to find a Reiki Master Teacher. (See the earlier section “ Taking Reiki classes.”)

To find a practitioner or teacher who’s a good match for you, consider the questions posed in Chapters 5and 7. Because this person will be transmitting Reiki energy to you, which is a sacred process, you want to find someone you can trust. You can often find such a person through a friend’s recommendation or by following your own intuition about someone. Check out the resources on Reiki ethics and organizations in Appendix Afor links that provide more information.

Everyone has different reasons for wanting to learn about Reiki. What you might need from Reiki today may change next week or next year. But whatever your reasons for needing Reiki, know that Reiki always offers help in a safe and natural way.

If you or a family member is suffering with a physical illness, Reiki can help you by providing deep relaxation. Reiki assists in the following ways when you’re in pain or dealing with illness:

Gives you a break from the pain

Enhances the healing effects (and reduces the side effects) of any medications (conventional or alternative) you’re taking

Reduces the time you need to heal after surgery

Promotes your body’s own internal healing system

More and more doctors, nurses, and hospitals are providing Reiki services for their patients. Read more about how Reiki combines with different healing therapies in Chapter 16.

Reiki has a special symbol just to heal the emotions and promote harmony. ( Chapter 8covers the symbols.) The gentle healing that Reiki offers works well with psychotherapy, massage, medication, and any other treatments you use for emotional problems. Reiki specifically helps on the emotional level in the following ways:

Aids in releasing stuck or buried emotions: You may cry or have memories come up during a Reiki session. The release helps you feel cleansed, and memories coming up may indicate something that needs further healing.

Gives you a pure sense of love: Reiki energy is the energy of love. Love contains the power of the universe and brings forth a sense of wholeness and connection.

Relaxation is probably the primary reason that people try Reiki. When I have a Reiki session, I sigh deeply as the tension that I’ve been carrying around is released. The more you relax, the more your body accepts the Reiki energy.

If you need to relax, Reiki is a healthier choice than using alcohol, drugs, sugar, or other substances.

If you’re feeling stuck or looking for resolution of a specific issue, Reiki can help. While you’re having a Reiki session, you may experience an “Aha!” moment. You may have a realization or insight that answers a question or solves a problem. Even if you don’t get inspiration during the session, your practitioner may give you some feedback that they picked up during the session. Or you may find that the solution comes to you in your dreams or unexpectedly in the next few days.